Patient satisfaction with sleep study experience: findings from the Sleep Apnea Patient-Centered Outcomes Network

Home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) is increasingly used as an alternative to laboratory-based polysomnography (PSG) for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Patient satisfaction with sleep testing performed at home or in the lab has been sparsely assessed, despite its potentially pivotal role in determining patients' acceptance of sleep apnea treatment. We hypothesize that satisfaction in clinical practice may differ from what has been previously reported within the research setting.

We analyzed survey data including responses to questions regarding diagnostic sleep study type and sleep study experience satisfaction from 2563 sleep apnea patients enrolled in the Sleep Apnea Patient-Centered Outcomes Network.

Patients (mean age 57 years; 54% male) who underwent in-lab PSG were more likely to be satisfied with their study experience than patients who had a HSAT (71% vs 60%; p < 0.01). Furthermore, the 38 per cent diminished odds of satisfaction in patients having HSAT (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.49-0.77) persisted after adjustment for potential confounders (OR: 0.41, 95% CI; 0.27-0.63). Greater sleep apnea symptom burden and satisfaction with CPAP therapy were associated with greater study satisfaction. Effect modifications on study types by college degree education and tiredness as a study trigger were detected.

Patients receiving care in the community who underwent PSG reported greater satisfaction with study experience than patients who underwent HSAT in contrast to findings from randomized controlled trials. Our findings, based on data from contemporary "real-world" settings, suggest that assumptions about the generalizability of early reports comparing in-lab PSG to home-based paradigms need to be revisited.